Henry Swan (cricketer)

Henry Swan

Henry Dawes Swan (born 28 July 1879, Newcastle upon Tyne, died 21 December 1941, Bournemouth) was an English cricketer and cricket administrator.

Life and career

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Swan attended Uppingham School and Exeter College, Oxford.[1] He left Oxford without taking a degree, and worked for a time in the office of the shipping company Elder Dempster Lines in Bristol before working for a shipbuilding company in Wivenhoe in Essex.[2]

He was elected to the Essex County Cricket Club committee in 1906 and appointed chairman of the committee in 1913.[2][3] In 1910 he managed a cricket team that toured Portugal.[4] He said in 1913 that he captained or managed about 60 teams in a season.[2]

He played in a variety of matches over many years for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC),[5] and was a member of the committee of the MCC.[3] He organised many of the MCC's matches and minor tours, including an annual tour in the Channel Islands.[6] According to one obituary he played more games for MCC "than anyone else ever has".[1]

He served as the New Zealand Cricket Council's representative in London, and visited New Zealand during the cricket season of 1921–22 helping to organise a tour by an MCC team to New Zealand in the 1922–23 season. When the touring team was announced he was named as its manager.[7] Before the tour Sir Home Gordon described Swan as "a man of colossal size, great enthusiasm, possessing fine knowledge of the game as well as a ready wit and imperturbable good temper. He should prove an outstanding [sic] successful feature of the tour."[4]

He played in the opening match of the tour, against Western Australia, making his first-class debut at the age of 43.[8] Batting at number eleven he was out for a duck in his only innings, and when he fielded his physique caused some amusement among the Perth crowd.[9] After that he limited his activities to his managerial duties, and played in only one more match on the tour, a minor match in Nelson.[5] However, he also played in the annual match between former students at British public schools and former Christ's College boys, held that year in Geraldine, South Canterbury.[10]

He returned to England after the tour to begin the organisation of the first New Zealand cricket tour to England, which it was hoped would occur in 1925.[11] It eventually took place in 1927. He continued to represent the New Zealand Cricket Council in London until the 1930s, and was at one stage suggested as a possible manager of the New Zealand team in England in 1931.[12] He was largely responsible for organising the itineraries of New Zealand's 1927 and 1931 tours.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gordon, Home (1942). "Swannie". The Cricketer (Spring Annual): 7–10. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c J. N. P., "A Chat with Mr. H. D. Swan", Cricket, 10 May 1913, pp. 165–67.
  3. ^ a b "English Team's Visit: Some Personal Details". New Zealand Herald. Vol. LIX, no. 18210. 2 October 1922. p. 5.
  4. ^ a b "Cricket Team for New Zealand: Some Well-Known Players". Otago Daily Times. Vol. LIX, no. 18680. 9 October 1922. p. 6.
  5. ^ a b "Miscellaneous matches played by Henry Swan". CricketArchive. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Obituaries in 1941". Cricinfo. 16 December 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  7. ^ "MacLaren's Team: Manager Announced". The Press. Vol. LVIII, no. 17539. 22 August 1922. p. 2.
  8. ^ "Western Australia v MCC". CricketArchive. Retrieved 2 March 2017.
  9. ^ "M.C.C. v Western Australia". The Daily News. 4 November 1922. p. 17.
  10. ^ "Past and Present Christ's College v Old English Public School Boys". Temuka Leader. No. 10420. 27 January 1923. p. 1.
  11. ^ "Cricket in Dominion: Mr MacLaren's Impression". New Zealand Herald. Vol. LX, no. 18327. 17 February 1923. p. 10.
  12. ^ "Strong Batting Combination". NZ Truth (2206): 12. 22 December 1930. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  13. ^ "Forthcoming English Tour: Mr H. D. Swan's observations". Press. LXVII (20150): 20. 31 January 1931. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
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